12 Senate and House races to watch in 2018

All eyes are on the 2018 midterms, as Democrats hope to translate growing anti-Republican sentiment into an electoral comeback.

While pollsters are predicting a Democratic wave in 2018, it may not be enough to overcome GOP majorities in both chambers of Congress.

2018 is looking to be an exciting year in national politics, with Democrats aiming to sweep back into local, state, and national offices, while Republicans hope to hold on to their majorities in the House and Senate.

Political strategists say that if Democrat Doug Jones can beat Republican Roy Moore in Alabama's special election in December, Democrats have a path to win the three seats they need to flip the Senate in 2018.

But Republicans are vying to flip 10 Democratic seats in states that President Donald Trump won last November in places like Missouri, Indiana, and West Virginia.

In the House, Republicans in blue states, including Virginia, California, and New York, are looking particularly vulnerable. Pollsters are predicting a Democratic wave, but they say it may not be enough to flip the House, where partisan gerrymandering heavily favors the GOP.

Here are six Senate and six House races to watch:

Missouri Senate race

Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat, is widely viewed as the most vulnerable senator up for reelection in 2018.

Missouri has grown increasingly conservative in recent years, was swept by Trump last November by nearly 20 points, and McCaskill, a moderate, is facing a formidable Republican opponent in Attorney General Josh Hawley, who's backed by both the establishment and the Trump wing of the Republican Party.

A two-term incumbent with a moderate voting record and a compelling life story, Sinema will face the winner of what will likely be a competitive Republican primary between far-right former state senator Kelli Ward and, likely, Rep. Martha McSally, the GOP establishment favorite.

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Nevada Senate race

Republican Sen. Dean Heller
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Nevada Sen. Dean Heller is widely viewed as the most vulnerable GOP incumbent up for reelection in 2018 — and the only Republican on the ballot in a state that Hillary Clinton carried in last fall's general election.

He'll be challenged in the primary by Danny Tarkanian, an independently wealthy businessman backed by Trump's camp who is polling well among primary voters, more than half of whom say they'll vote for someone besides Heller.

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Indiana Senate race

Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly
J. Scott Applewhite (Associated Press)

Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly, a Democrat in a state Trump won handily last November, has become even more vulnerable following revelations that his family business outsourced labor to Mexico even as the senator criticized international trade agreements that promote the practice.

Recognizing his precarious position, Donnelly has advertised his conversations with Trump on economic issues and job creation to his red state constituents. In September, Trump threatened to campaign against Donnelly "like you wouldn't believe" if the senator votes against the GOP tax reform plan.

The most conservative Senate Democrat, Manchin is being challenged by a few Republicans, including Rep. Evan Jenkins and the state's attorney general, Patrick Morrisey, who has called on Manchin to resign his post.

"I don't give a s--t, you understand? I just don't give a s--t," he said. "Don't care if I get elected, don't care if I get defeated, how about that?"

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Alabama Senate race

US Senate candidate Roy Moore
Scott Olson/Getty Images

After nine women came forward to accuse US Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual misconduct when he was in his 30s and they were teenagers, the Alabama race has gone from an easy Republican win to a tossup.

The seat, formerly occupied by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, hasn't been held by a Democrat in over two decades. But recent polls have Democrat Doug Jones leading Moore by eight points just three weeks before the election.

A Democratic win in Alabama could create a path for Democrats to flip the Senate in 2018, provided that they're able to reelect all 10 of the incumbents in states that Trump won last November and flip vulnerable Republican seats in Arizona and Nevada.

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Virginia House race: 10th District

Virginia Rep. Barbara Comstock is increasingly considered one of the most vulnerable incumbent House Republicans.

Comstock's district turned deep blue on November 8, as Democrats swept the purple state in local and statewide elections. Comstock is the only House Republican in northern Virginia, which voted overwhelming for Democratic candidate for governor Ralph Northam, who beat his Republican opponent by nine points.

And nine Democrats have stepped up to challenge Comstock, painting the congresswoman as a Trump ally.

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California House race: 49th District

Rep. Darrell Issa.
Alex Brandon/AP

Nine-term Republican Rep. Darrell Issa hung on to his southern California seat in 2016 by just a half point — or 1,600 votes — in a district that went for Clinton by eight points last November.

Issa, the wealthiest member of Congress, is being challenged by three Democrats who are all raising significant sums of money. And his district, which stretches the coast from San Clemente to La Jolla and includes Orange County, is increasingly populated by independents and Democrats. Roll Call rated him one of the most vulnerable House members in 2018.

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Minnesota House race: Second District

Rep. Jason Lewis
Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Rep. Jason Lewis, a Minnesota Republican, barely won his 2016 race against Democrat Angie Craig, who will challenge Lewis again next year. Trump beat Clinton in the swing district last November by just one point, and Lewis beat Craig by under two points.

An October poll conducted by a Democratic group found that Craig was leading Lewis by one point and less than a third of respondents approved of the House Speaker Paul Ryan's work in Congress.

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New York House race: 19th District

Rep. John Faso
Mike Groll/AP

Rep. John Faso, a New York Republican, won his 2016 election by a solid eight points in a district that Trump won by seven points, but his district has voted for President Barack Obama in the past. And Faso is facing a backlash from constituents unhappy with his decision to support repealing the Affordable Care Act.

Seven Democrats are vying to challenge Faso.

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Iowa House race: First District

Rep. Rod Blum
Scott Olson/Getty Images

While the second-term Iowa Republican won an easy reelection last November in a district that went for Trump, his support for the GOP's efforts to repeal Obamacare are unpopular among his constituents, who supported President Barack Obama by double digits in 2008 and 2012.

California House race: 48th District

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher
Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters

Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher has made headlines over the last year for his pro-Russian views and relationships with Russian officials and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy reportedly joked that the congressman is paid by Russian President Vladimir Putin.